Japanese baseball breaks the curse of 'Colonel Sanders'

Japanese baseball fans have retrieved a statue of the KFC mascot Colonel Sanders from a river after deciding it had cursed their team for quarter of a century.

A statue of Colonel Sanders, Kentucky Fried Chicken's mascot, is displayed before the media after it was recovered from the bottom of Dotonbori River in Osaka, western JapanPhoto: REUTERS

2:54PM GMT 11 Mar 2009

In a moment of delirious joy after winning the country's baseball league in 1985, ecstatic Hanshin Tigers fans celebrated by jumping into the Dotonbori River in Osaka with the figure.

The underdogs had won their first Central League title in 21 years and picked up the statue after deciding it resembled the team's bearded American slugger, Randy Bass.

But after winning the national championship, the teams' fortunes sank along with the mascot and they have hadn't won the title since.

The dramatic slump in form gave birth to the legend of the 'Colonel Sanders curse' and suggestions that his disappearance had caused the team's poor form.

Finally this week, a diver was sent down to discover the Colonel's top half – minus his hands but still sporting his trademark string tie and grin. His bottom half was later recovered and reunited with the top.